<Begin Segment 15>

MN: When did you graduate from Marshall High?

MY: February the 3rd, 1942. [Laughs] 'Cause I graduated on my birthday.

MN: And then is this when you also left the Shonien?

MY: I left shortly after that. I talked to Mrs. Matsumoto about what's the best plan and she says, "Well, we're probably going to have to evacuate." I guess she must have heard about it. And she suggested that I join or volunteer for the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps, and so I went there and I was there for two or three months. And then when we had to get off the coast, I left the CCC and went to live with... one of the kids that was in Shonien had an older brother, Yukio Fujikawa, and he took us in we stayed with him until we had to evacuate. So we evacuated with them.

MN: Before we get to Yukio's place, can you tell me, was it difficult to join the CCC?

MY: No, just went there and they took me right in.

MN: Were you one of the few Japanese Americans?

MY: I was the only one that was there.

MN: How did everybody treat you?

MY: No different. I guess as long as I spoke English and acted... I don't think I felt any different.

MN: So as part of the CCC, what did you do?

MY: You know, their job is to... you know, like these forest trails, small dams, beaver dams, things like that I guess, pretty much.

MN: And as a CCC worker you were not restricted by the curfew or travel restrictions?

MY: No, no restrictions or nothing. But then when it was time to... we had to get out, then they told me that I'd have to leave the CCC.

MN: And then that's when you went to Yukio Fujikawa's house -- I mean farm?

MY: Yeah.

MN: And where was this farm at?

MY: He had a little farm in Downey, California, so like he had two... well actually, had three brothers and two sisters. But he took us in and we'd just sleep on the floor but we stayed there for about a month or so before we had to evacuate so we evacuated with them.

MN: Now the three brothers and the two sisters, were they all in Shonien?

MY: Yeah, they were in Shonien.

MN: So Yukio took them out of Shonien?

MY: Yeah, he took... well, when they had to get out, evacuate, well then he took them out. But he couldn't take care of them at home while he'd work and had to come home and do things himself, but he took care of all us after we had to evacuate.

MN: And then what about your two brothers?

MY: Yeah, we both went there too.

MN: So there were Yukio --

MY: Hiro, Isao and myself, and then he had Toshi, Chuck, Pat and Yuri and then he had another brother, but he was already inducted into the armed forces. Older brother.

MN: So that's a lot of people on this farm.

MY: There was, yeah. I mean, it wasn't a very big house but then I know we all slept on the floor.

MN: Did you have to help out on the farm?

MY: He'd send us out to this... one of his friends had a strawberry farm. We'd go out there and pick strawberries for about a month or so. So we earned a few dollars before we went to camp, but that's about what we had. It's not like we had a whole bunch of stuff when we went to camp.

<End Segment 15> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.